Three Things to Expect at a PBS Regional Meeting

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by Amy Lust | Assistant Director | PBS Digital on

PBS Regional meetings are two-day meetings happening all across the country. In 2015 there were Regional Meetings in Kansas City, Nashville, Detroit, Baltimore and Portland. Planning for the 2016 Regional Meeting locations is well under way, and the first one will be held January 25-26 in Fresno, California hosted by Valley PBS.

As we gear up for 2016 Regional Meetings here are three things you can expect when attending a Regional Meeting.

Meet Your Neighbors

PBS Regional Meetings bring together stations within a few hundred mile radius. These meetings allow for station staff to get to know each other, talk about common issues, possible solutions, and build relationships that can carry on past the meeting. In addition to getting to know your station neighbors, PBS staff from different departments attend these meetings to get to know you and what you are working on.

Peer to Peer Discussions

We all have challenges, and we all have potential solutions, so let’s talk! At each regional meeting you pitch the topics that you want to talk about. These sessions can be an opportunity to share a success story you think other stations might benefit from, or discuss a problem you need help solving. A few sessions are pitched by PBS staff, and you can hear directly from them about some big initiatives coming down the pike. Sessions can be pitched before and during the meeting.

The Big Picture

Throughout the two day meeting Station Services leads the group in a few big picture sessions. These include discussions on diversity and inclusion, the future of Public Media, and what are the similar challenges stations all face and how we can work together to find a solution. Each meeting has main speakers to talk about topical concerns going on in the system. In the most recent meeting in Portland, PBS CTO Mario Vecchi spoke on V6 and gave updates on what stations can expect from the technology in the future.